The Rudder of the truly Spiritual Mind:
If it is spiritual mindedness that we are after, it is helpful to be aware of what the competition is… to honest about what else is competing for the affection of our thoughts. Owen puts it this way in ch11…
“Spiritual mindedness grows from and consists of being delighted by spiritual things: what we LOVE is what captures us. The great contest between heaven and earth is to see which of them can most draw out our love. Whoever has our love has the whole of us; love causes us to give ourselves away, as nothing else can. Our love is like the rudder of a ship – where it is turned, there the ship goes.”
Matthew 6:19-24 describes this principle that Owen is speaking about in relation to the love of money.
Reflection 1: What “object of love” is most likely to play the master in your thought life?
Reflection 2: What unspiritual “loves” act as your rudder?
“To think less of anything, one must think more of something else” ie Owen is saying that it is not enough to free our thoughts from the love of things which displease God. We must simultaneously replace them with thoughts of love for those things which do please God.
An Exercise: Each time you try and put to death your love for some ungodly thought, try immediately to replace it with thoughts of love for God himself. [eg - you become aware of lustful thoughts and try and put them out of your mind. Don't let that be the end of it - immediately try and replace those thoughts with affection and love for say, God's patience or His compassion, or His majesty. by doing so we are training ourselves not only to hate evil, but love good - Amos 5:15, Rom 12:9]
Reminds me of Tim Keller describing the human heart (getting the idea from Jonathan Edwards). He puts it that we cannot simply stop loving idols, fullstop – but that we must replace it with a true and right object of affection – God.
Yeah very similar… in the last several months I’ve really become convinced that Owen has to be one of the most under-rated blessings of puritan thinking. Check out the new edition of some of his work “Overcoming Sin and Temptation”. What Owen describes as affection really needs more consideration. I think it is a more helpful way of describing our love of God than the often used alternative of “passion”.
ta
Yeah, the Puritans rock. I’m trying to go through Owen’s Pneumatology atm, and a friend gave me his Hebrews commentary as a gift/challenge
By new edition do you mean the one that came out a few years ago by Taylor & Kapic?
Have you read Edwards on the Affections? Seems to be an oft-recommended classic.
yep, that is the one. New, as in not 1850′s
Have read Edward’s Affections. about 5 yrs ago now and probably worth a revisit… but have been more motivated to read Owen ATM.